


Ted VS The Adulation

by quackquackbi



Series: Ted Foster AU [3]
Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Major Black Friday Spoilers, Major TGWDLM Spoilers, Multi, Paulkins - Freeform, Ted Foster AU, revamped and reposted, tedgens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26977114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quackquackbi/pseuds/quackquackbi
Summary: The 3rd part in the Ted Foster AU. Follows "Webby VS The Apotheosis" and "Henry VS The Aftermath". Major spoilers for both of those, as well as for Black Friday.6 months after the epilogue of HVSTA, things are going great. They've just celebrated Thanksgiving, and now it's time to crack down on Christmas shopping. How will the gang tackle the plot of Black Friday?
Relationships: Becky Barnes/Tom Houston, Hannah Foster & Henry Hidgens, Hannah Foster & Lex Foster, Hannah Foster & Ted, Henry Hidgens & Hot Chocolate Boy, Henry Hidgens/Ted, Hot Chocolate Boy & Hannah Foster, Hot Chocolate Boy/Original Female Character(s), Lex Foster & Ted, Lex Foster/Ethan Green, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Series: Ted Foster AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1833517
Comments: 7
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1: The Wiggly Jingle

Emma turns off the radio hurriedly before the commerical can play again. Paul hears the beginning and groans anyway.

"Don't start," Emma warns him. "Tim is Hannah's age. He probably wants one of those dolls more than anything. Do not ruin this for me. Tom will kill us if we upset his son."

"I know," Paul sighs.

"I mean, seriously," she says, parking in her brother-in-law's driveway. "They're all I have left of Jane. The accident was just last year. Tim's way too young to have to be without his mom..."

Paul grabs her hand and squeezes it gently. "Hey, it's okay," he whispers, and Emma wipes away her tears as she nods. "Ready to go in?" She nods again.

They both get out of the car and go to the trunk, so Emma can grab the leftovers from yesterday's meal at the Hidgens-Foster home. Paul grabs the movies and board games, wincing when he sees the musicals in the stack, but he doesn't comment on them. At least they were cartoons. He could deal with cartoons.

Emma rings the doorbell, and Tom Houston answers almost right away.

"You're late," he grumbles, looking only half-dressed. He's got a tank top tucked into his jeans, but no over-shirt or shoes.

"It's— it's 6:30 in the morning," Emma says, confused.

"Yeah, and I said six," Tom snaps, and gestures to the coffee cup in Emma's hand. "But I guess you had to go to Starbucks."

He lets them in, and Paul and Emma share a disbelieving look as they follow him to the living room.

"Hey, Tim!" Emma says, seeing her nephew sitting on the couch in his pajamas.

"Hi, Aunt Emma," the boy replies shyly. He glances at Paul questioningly.

"This is my boyfriend, Paul," Emma introduces quickly. "Is it okay that he came over with me?"

Tim nods shyly, fiddling with his sleeve.

"Okay," Emma says, setting the bag of leftovers on the coffee table. "I've brought just about everything we need for a little belated Turkey Day. And I heard you just had your birthday, too. How old are you now, bud?"

"Seven," Tim says quietly, blushing slightly. Emma puts a hand over her heart and turns to Paul.

"He's getting so big," she sniffles dramatically. "I guess it's a good thing we brought his present with—"

Tom walks back into the living room, a red and black flannel in place over his tank top now, and starts putting his boots on.

"Where are you going?" Emma asks sharply, dropping her dramatic facade. "I thought we were gonna have a family day today."

"I wouldn't have called if I didn't have any other choice," Tom says, sounding apologetic. He's clearly missing the point of why Emma's upset. "But Grace is out of town, and Alice couldn't make it. I promis I'll be back as soon as I can, and you guys can be on your way."

"Dad," Tim whines.

"Sorry, buddy, but this is important," he replies. "I need to get a new belt for my chainsaw. It won't take long."

"Yeah, that's real important," Tim grumbles, and storms off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

"Wow," Emma scoffs once her nephew is out of earshot. "What did you do for his birthday? Take the drill press to Six Flags?"

"No," Tom says sharply. "First of all, I don't even have a drill press. Second, how would it fit in the sedan?" Once again, he's totally missed the point of what Emma was saying. Emma rolls her eyes.

"Well, fine. Go do your important errand," she says waspishly.

Tom sighs. "I just needed an excuse I could tell him, okay? I'm actually going to get his Christmas present..."

—————

Lex kisses her dad's cheek as she rushes out the door. "Gotta go, love you!"

She hurries to the car, and drives to the mall and parks in her assigned spot, and runs to the loading bay. Clocking in with two minutes to spare, Lex breathes a sigh of relief. She goes to stand by the bay doors to wait for the delivery truck. To help prevent theft of the highly-coveted new toy, the manufacturer delayed the deliveries to all the retailers until the morning-of. Part of Lex's job was to help stock the shipment at the cash registers.

As she waits, she notices someone other than the delivery truck pull up and park.

"Do you think it would be okay if I park here for a bit?" The man asks, getting out of his car. Lex recognizes him as her old woodshop class teacher, Mr. Houston.

"Go ahead," she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She feels a little bad about being so disrespectful, but she has a long day ahead of her. "I'm sure the delivery trucks can park across the street."

"Thanks—" he says distractedly, then seems to realize who he's talking to. "Lex? Lex Foster?"

She waves slightly at him, leaning against the wall. "Hey, Mr. Houston. How's life?"

"What are you doing here?" He asks, either not hearing her, or just ignoring her question.

"I work here," she says. "Big day today, you know? We're waiting on some deliveries before the store opens. What about you?"

"I'm here to get one of those monster dolls for my son, Tim," he says. Lex nods.

"Well, you better get in line, then," she warns him. "It's already backed up to Nordstrum."

"To Nordstrum?!" Mr. Houston yelps. "Shit! See ya later, Lex!"

She rolls her eyes again, trying not to laugh. After a few more minutes, her boss comes outside and greets her, humming some Christmas music to himself. He's mumbling the words, but they don't sound right. Lex is pretty sure 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' doesn't talk about money at any point, let alone as many times as Frank is saying the word.

The delivery truck finally shows up just a minute later, and the driver has Frank sign for the shipment. The boxes are pretty big, and have the manufacturer printed on the side:  _ Uncle Wiley's Toy Company. _

Frank sighs. "Do you know why they call it  _ Black _ Friday, Alexandra?" He asks.

"Because it's the day after Thursday?" She teases, knowing the real answer already. She'd heard the speech Frank was about to give her already.

He scoffs lightly. "Because it's the one day a year where most retailers go from being in the red—  _ losing _ money— to being in the black—  _ making _ money!" He sounds concerningly fond of the word 'money', Lex is realizing. Not for the first time, sure, but still.

The delivery guy chuckles lowly. "Trust me, pal, these babies are gonna take you so far into the black, that you ain't never coming back," he says, and Lex is a little creeped out by the tone of his voice. It sounds so... ominous. But the guy and Frank both break out into laughter, and the guy adds in a goofy voice, "That's the Uncle Wiley's guarantee!"

He pats the first box before heading back to his truck. Pausing, he looks back at Lex and slowly eyes her up and down. He winks at her and says, "Well, hello naughty list." Then he climbs into his truck and drives off.

"Eww," Lex says, shuddering. She's tempted to flip the guy off, but her boss is still standing right there.

"Alexandra," Frank drawls, hunched over and hugging the box of dolls. "Do you think you could get to work now and stock the cash registers with these?"

"Of course, Mr. Pryce," she sighs, glancing back toward the truck one last time before pulling out her box cutter.

"Thank you," Frank says sarcastically. Lex mumbles out a response to that, but Frank says her name again. "What was that? You're a polite young lady, Lex. What is the proper way to respond when I say 'thank you'?"

"You're welcome," she says a little louder, and Frank claps.

"She  _ can _ be taught!" He cheers, and goes back inside, singing the twisted version of 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' again.

Lex starts wheeling the boxes inside the store, settling them by the front registers. She doesn't start unpacking until she's gotten them all inside. Just as she starts to move the last box, and familiar voice calls out to her.

"Lexie!"

She turns and smiles when she sees her little sister, being carried by her boyfriend, Ethan.

"Hiya, Banana," Lex says, walking over to them and kissing her cheek. "Hey, babe. Thanks for hanging out with her today. Dad and Henry are still trying to unpack the new house, and Peter's got a date with that girl from our English class."

"It's no problem," Ethan says, shrugging. "We're gonna go see a movie, right Banana?"

"The Santa one," Hannah confirms cheerfully.

Lex is very thankful that Hannah's gotten over her fear of live-action musicals, after what happened last year. She even enjoys hearing their step-father, Henry, sing now.

"Well, I hope you guys have fun," Lex says. "I have to get back to work now, but I'll be done at noon and we can go meet Dad and Henry for lunch, okay?"

Hannah nods. "Love you, Lexie!"

"Love you, too, Hannah," Lex says softly, kissing the six year old's forehead. She kisses Ethan's cheek next, and he carries Hannah away toward the movie theater.

Lex gets back to work, taking the last box of dolls inside. She starts opening them up and unpacking them, stocking each cash register with an equal number of the ugly little dolls.

"Ten minutes to showtime!" Frank calls over the intercom. Lex groans.

Today is going to be a  _ very _ long day.


	2. Chapter 2: What Do You Say?

Becky Barnes waits patiently in the line outside of Toy Zone. She'd gotten there quite early, and was lucky enough to be among the first few. She's heard whispers from the people behind her,  about just how long the line really was. She hopes there are enough dolls for everyone who wants one.

Becky thinks about why she's here. That little girl in her ward— Bridgette. Even though she wouldn't be able to see the doll, Becky thinks the fur will be a nice texture for the girl. It always looks so soft in the commercials.

She snaps out of her thoughts when she hears a familiar, grating voice, and fights the urge to roll her eyes.

"Look, lady," the guy in front of Becky says, not fighting the urge. "I'm not letting you—" Linda Monroe writes out a check and gives it to the man, who blinks as he reads the amount written on it. "Right this way, Mrs. Monroe," he says gallantly, allowing her to step in front of him.

"You can't do that!" Becky protests. Others behind her are complaining, too.

"Ugh," Linda scoffs into her phonecall. "Excuse me, Gerald. Becky Barnes is accosting me... YES, call the police!"

Becky doesn't hesitate to roll her eyes this time. Linda Monroe was always so dramatic and self-centered, just because she was rich. They argue for a bit, Becky trying to defend the morality that Linda should be considering, and Linda brushing her off.

"If I were you, sir, I'd tear that check right in half!" Becky says. "I'm sure we'd all cheer you on, wouldn't we?" She looks to the people behind her, but no one will look at her.

"This is Hatchetfield," Linda scoffs. "No one but you cares about your morals. Do you really think your neighbors didn't notice when you wore sunglasses on cloudy days? Or when you wore turtlenecks in the summer. It's not that they didn't notice, Becky. They just didn't care."

The nurse flinches at the unsubtle reminders of her past, and goes quiet. She has no response to it, none that would even remotely make sense, or one that would leave herself safe. After a few minutes, someone bumps into her from behind, and she feels her anger grow again as the person tries to offer her some money for her spot in line. She whirls around, prepared to go off on the man, but freezes when she sees who it is.

Tom Houston, her high school sweetheart.

She hasn't seen him in years, not since he shipped off for the army just after graduation. He's aged a little, but then again she knows she has, too. She knows he has a kid, a little boy, and that his wife had died just the previous year. She'd wanted to go to the funeral...

Becky's mind goes mostly blank, her only thought being,  _ Shit... I'm still not over him. _

—————

Lex taps her foot impatiently as Frank starts the countdown to open the doors. None of the other employees look too thrilled to be here, but a few of them are already putting on the Customer Service faces, plastering on fake smiles. Finally, Frank unlocks and opens the store's doors, and cues Lex to make the announcement to everyone standing in line.

"A reminder to all Toy Zone customers wanting to purchase a Tickle-Me-Wiggly doll," Lex reads from the notecard Frank had given her. "The dolls can be purchased from the front registers and are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please remain in line as you enter the store in an orderly fashion, and we will serve you as quickly as possible. Have a wonderful day, a happy holiday season, and thank you for shopping at Toy Zone."

Lex turns the intercom off and grimaces before heading toward the cash registers. The customers have already approached the counter, thankfully following the instructions of being orderly about it. She recognizes the man in front— he's been in every week to purchase different toys (for himself, eugh!)— and Mr. Houston not too far behind him.

She wonders how he managed to get so close to the front, until she notices how friendly and yet awkward he's being with the red-headed woman standing just in front of him in line.

Frank stands next to Lex and smiles at the first customer. "And how can we help you today, sir?"

"I would like to purchase your entire stock of Wiggly dolls," the man says in his somewhat squeaky voice. The store goes silent as everyone processes what he's just said.

"W-what?" Lex asks, eyes wide.

"You want to buy all eight-hundred and fifty dolls?" Frank asks, just as shocked, and the man nods solemnly.

"No!" A blonde woman shrieks. "You can't do that! Some of us have been waiting in line for hours!" From the look of her, Lex doubts this woman was one of them. "What are you even going to do with that many dolls, you overgrown pervert?!"

"Well one will stay in the box for posterity," the man says, starting to get excited. "And one will be used exclusively for bath time—"

Lex tries not to gag at the automatic visual that brings.

"Sold!" Frank declares proudly. "Congratulations, sir—"

"I'll tickle one doll, and one doll..." he giggles, ignoring Frank, "will tickle me!"

"No, no, no!" The same blonde woman snaps.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, all sales are final—" Lex tries to say, hating that she even has to in this context.

"You'll be hearing from my lawyer," the woman snaps at them. At that very moment, a man in a suit, scarf, and glasses comes hurrying forward. "Gary, thank God!"

"I was further back in line," he explains in a nasally voice. Lex automatically doesn't like him, just based on the familiarity he has with the rude lady. He turns to Frank and introduces himself and the woman both. "Gary Goldstein, attorney at law," he says. "Did you know my client, Linda Monroe, suffers from an accute, little-understood anxiety disorder? And any long term medical conditions that may occur on these premises are your responsibility." He goes on to start threatening lawsuits and audits, which freaks Frank out.

"Alright!" He snaps. "New rule: limit one per customer!"

Both Linda and the creepy guy start protesting at the same time.

"I thought you said all sales were final—"

"Why one? Why not, say, four—?"

"Now you'll be hearing from MY lawyer!" The creepy guy says, and Goldstein jumps forward again and reintroduces himself.

"Did you know my client, Sherman Young—"

"Oh, shut up, Gary!" Linda snaps, and knees the lawyer in the groin. He stumbles away moaning about his 'subpeona', which makes Lex snicker slightly.

Someone further down the line shouts, "I'll pay double just for one doll!"

"I'll give you two hundred for one!" Another adds.

Frank smirks. "Now this is more like it!"

Lex turns to him, shocked. "Mr. Pryce, we can't do that!"

"Supply and demand, Alexandra," he replies, shaking his head. "And the demand just went up. Let the bidding begin!"

People start shouting their bids, until one guy snaps and jumps out of line.

"No," he growls. "That doll was advertised as $49.95, and that's what I'm gonna pay."

"Sorry, sir, the price just went up," Frank sneers, and the man growls again. It sounds more... animalistic this time, and Lex's breath catches in her throat.

"If you're not gonna sell me that doll," the man says lowly, "I'm just gonna have to take it!" He lunges forward and wrestles one right out of Lex's hands despite her protests. The other customers just watch with rapt attention, then start murmuring amongst themselves when the man gets what he wants.

"If he's getting one, then I want four!" Linda shrieks, attempting to climb over the counter. Lex shoves her away, but she keeps coming. The other customers abandon the line they've stayed in thus far and start snatching dolls from the registers.

Frank tries to restore order, and Lex tries to help, but some customer smacks her across the face and down she goes. She's frozen on the ground as her mind goes straight to her mother.

Meanwhile, the customers are getting more and more rowdy, fighting each other for the limited supply of dolls. Someone screams, and blood sprays everywhere.

Another scream, and Lex realizes it's her this time. She tries to run, but someone grabs her by the hair and yanks her back. She falls on the floor again and the world goes black.


	3. Chapter 3: Feast or Famine

Ethan carries Hannah to the movie theater on his shoulders, and she giggles the whole time. She's humming the song from the trailer for the movie they're going to see, and Ethan grimaces. 'Santa Clause Is Going to High School' is not exactly his first choice of movie, but Hannah really wants to see it, so he'd decided to suck it up and take her.

He only sets her down when he approaches the ticket counter. The employee standing behind it looks to be half-asleep standing up, and Ethan gently taps his knuckles to the glass. The kid jerks to attention.

"Hi, welcome to Lakeside Mall Cineplex, how can I help you today?" The kid drones, tapping away at the computer in front of him. He looks like he wants to be here about as much as Ethan does.

"Yeah, can I get two tickets to see... uh, the Santa movie?" Ethan mumbles.

"Two tickets to see Santa Claus Is Going to High School," the kid says, "that'll be $27.50."

"One of them is for a little kid," Ethan tells him.

"Okay... $24.50," the kid corrects.

Ethan scoffs at the price still. "Twenty-five bucks for two tickets, are you kidding me?"

"I don't make the prices, sir," the employee says.

"I've got twenty," Ethan sighs. "It's all I've got..."

"This isn't a place you can haggle," the kid tells him. "If you can't pay the full price, you can't see the movie."

Ethan groans, and considers threatening the kid— he'd seen him around school before, Ethan was sure— but decides not to, for Hannah's sake. She's starting to tear up, and sniffles. Ethan picks her up and takes her over to the bench. He sets her down on it and sits next to her.

"I'm sorry, Banana," he mumbles. "My mom only gave me forty bucks for today, and I had to get gas earlier, remember? I thought a twenty would be enough to get us in to see the movie..."

She wipes her nose on her sleeve. "It's okay..." she says, sniffling again. "We can watch it later with Lexie. Daddy gave her money for lunch and stuff."

"I'll bet she'd like to see it," Ethan admits, glad she isn't mad at him. She picks at the little green bracelet around her wrist, and Ethan grins. "You're still wearing it!"

Hannah looks at it and nods. "Are you wearing yours?"

Ethan pulls his sleeve up and shows her the yellow bracelet on his wrist. "Of course I am, Banana." She smiles and giggles, holding her wrist side-by-side with him to compare the two.

"And you remember all the rules?" She asks seriously, and he nods.

"Every single one," he says, and even recites them for her. She'd been so serious when telling him about all the rules of making and wearing friendship bracelets, he couldn't help but feel like he owed it to her to commit them to memory.

Hannah nods along as he rattles off the rather laundry-list of rules, and lays her head on his shoulder when he's done.

"What's shakin', Banana?" Ethan asks, sighing. He can tell that something's still bothering her.

"Webby said today's gonna be a bad day," Hannah admits quietly, and Ethan has to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I didn't wanna believe her, but..."

"Hey, it's not gonna be a bad day," he says gently, then reaches behind him to pull his Greyskull hat out of the back of his pants, where he'd been keeping it. He puts it on her head, and brings the bill down over her eyes. "This hat is a magic hat," he says. "It'll protect whoever wears it, and nothing can hurt you."

"Promise?" She asks in a small voice, taking it back off to look at it.

Ethan holds out his pinkie. "Cross my heart, hope to die," he says seriously. She looks between the hat, his face, and his pinkie. Then she sticks out her pinkie and links it with his, and puts the hat on backwards with her other hand and smiles shyly up at him.

"How's about we go to the arcade, then?" Ethan suggests. "We can get a snack while we wait for your sister, play some games..."

Hannah perks up and nods. "Dance?"

"Yeah, we can play that one," Ethan chuckles. He stands, and starts carrying her toward the arcade, but is stopped by a particularly angry looking man. Hannah cowers into Ethan's shoulder, even more spooked than Ethan can comprehend. He holds her tight, angling his body so that he's between her and this man.

"Where's the fucking doll?" The man spits at Ethan. Another man limps forward to join the first, fire in his eyes and blood on his shirt.

"What?" Ethan asks, bewildered. "Are you guys okay?"

"Where is it?" The first man says again, and the second one growls like a rabid dog.

The second man lunges at Ethan, but he dodges. He sets Hannah down and shoves her away. She cries out, reaching for him. The first man gets to him first, but Ethan fights back.

"Run, Hannah," he says to her quickly, dodging the first man's fists. "The play-place by Marshall's. Go hide there until me or Lex can come find you! Go, now!"

Hannah runs off, crying silently.

Ethan focuses on the fight he's found himself in, dodging where he can and rolling with it where he can't. The second man's joined the attack, but Ethan kicks his bad leg and down he goes. He punches the first guy across the jaw, then kicks him in the crotch.

A woman approaches and joins the fight— on his attackers' side, of course— and scratches at Ethan with her nails. He hates having to punch her, but luckily she goes down after only one hit. He kicks at the first man again when he tries to get back up—

Suddenly, someone's pinning Ethan's arms behind him, and the second man gets back up and punches Ethan repeatedly in the stomach. He slumps to his knees, and the two men still on their feet start kicking him, grunting. Ethan groans and whimpers, trying to shield himself.

They don't stop kicking him until he goes limp.

The last thing Ethan says is a broken little, "Hannah..."

—————

Henry flicks through the TV channels while Ted makes lunch. He hears a word that makes him pause in concern, and goes back to the news channel that said it. It's a local station covering the happenings at the mall.

His eyes widen in horror. "Ted," he calls hoarsely. "Ted, come look."

Ted comes in, alarmed by the fear in his husband's voice. He watches the TV coverage, as a riot consumes Lakeside Mall, and his eyes widen. The news reporter states that multiple 9-1-1 calls have already been made, and claims of multiple  _ deaths _ have been reported.

"Lex and Hannah are there," Ted says. "Hen, the girls are  _ there _ !"

"We have to go get them," Henry agrees. "Come on, I have some weapons we can take, just in case." He leads Ted downstairs to the gun safe, and grabs a shotgun and a handgun. Ted hesitates to grab a handgun of his own, but does so for his daughters' sake.

"Let's go save our girls," Henry says grimly, and they head back upstairs to the garage.


	4. Chapter 4: Take Me Back

Peter hides in the ticket booth at the movie theater, his date curled into his side, hiding her face in fear. They're both trying not to freak out at all the sounds around them— the screaming, the fighting, the growling like animals, the crying— the  _ crying _ !

Peter  _ knows _ that cry! That's his sister, Hannah! He's sure of it.

"Shit," he mumbles, the first time he's ever cursed, and slowly detaches himself from Ashleigh so he can peek over the counter.

There's no sign on Hannah, but he does see Ethan, lying in a heap on the ground. Several people are running away from him. Ethan's not getting up, not moving at all. He tells Ashleigh what he sees.

"I have to go help him," he mumbles. "Gotta find Hannah and Lex..."

Ashleigh takes a shaky breath and nods. "I'll help," she says quietly, but Peter shakes his head.

"You don't have to," he says. "You can stay here if you'd rather. You'll be safe."

"I'd feel safer if I weren't alone," she admits, squeezing his hand. "I'm coming with you."

Peter gives her a small, grateful smile, and squeezes her hand back. The pair sneak out of the ticket booth and over toward Ethan. Ashleigh keeps watch for any more people who may come and try to hurt them, while Peter kneels by Ethan's side.

"Hey, man," Peter says softly, shaking his friend. "Hey, what happened?"

Ethan trembles as he tries to look around. "Th-they wanted the f-fucking doll," he mumbles. "T-told Hannah to r-run. P-play-place— Marshall's—"

He shudders, then goes limp. His eyes close, and he lets out a deep sigh.

Peter looks up at Ashleigh, panicking. "Is he—?"

She crouches and puts two fingers to Ethan's jugular, and winces. "We should move him," she says softly. "Take him back to the ticket booth. I'll go find your sister. He said Marshall's?"

Peter nods, staring down at Ethan with tears in his eyes. What the hell was he gonna tell Lex?

Just as Ashleigh helps him to his feet so he can get Ethan's body out of the way, somewhere safe, they hear a shotgun blast. They both flinch, and she grabs Peter's hand. Thankfully, two familiar faces round the corner just a moment later.

Ted and Henry.

They pause for a moment, taking in the scene— Ethan on the ground, Peter and his date freaking out, no sign of Hannah or Lex anywhere. Then they jump into action. Henry helps his son move Ethan, while Ashleigh tells Ted where Hannah is supposed to be. He races off to find the six year old without a backward glance. Ashleigh joins Peter and Henry in the ticket booth, trying not to cry. She feels oddly relieved that she doesn't have to be the one to go find Hannah, because it means she doesn't have to leave Peter.

—————

Tom and Becky manage to escape Toy Zone, and start making their way toward the other end of the mall with a Wiggly tucked under Tom's arm.

"We'll get you one, too," Tom promises quietly. He grabs her hand as they sneak through the mall. They have to stop and hide a couple times, but they eventually make it to the movie theater on the far end of the building without getting caught.

"My car's outside Toy Zone," Tom groans. "We'll have to sneak out from the theater and double back through the parking lot— after we get you a doll, of course." He adds the last bit hurriedly when he notices the fierce look Becky is giving him.

Just as they're approaching the theater entrance, they hear footsteps racing up behind them. Tom whirls around, shoving the doll to Becky behind him protectively, immediately assuming a fighting stance. The man running at them is one that Tom had to fight earlier in the store— they've both got the black eyes to prove it.

The men grapple for a moment, and then the other man pulls away for a brief moment. Tom catches a glimpse of something shining in the fluorescent lighting, just as Becky calls something out. Tom doesn't register what she'd said until it's too late.

_ "He has a knife!" _

He falls to his knees, and the man lets him. He goes to Becky, forcibly taking the Wiggly doll from her, and runs off. Becky goes to Tom, rolling him on his back, her hands going straight to the stab wound now in Tom's side.

He doesn't feel anything until she starts putting pressure on it, then the whole area starts to throb. Lifting his hand— where he had instinctively cupped the wound— he saw it was covered in blood. Tom had never thought himself to be weak-stomached, he'd been in the army for Christ's sake, but the sight of his own blood makes him dizzy. His head falls back to the linoleum floor as he passes out.

Becky doesn't panic. She's a nurse, she knows how to treat injuries. Thinking quickly, she uses part of her winter coat to make Tom a temporary bandage so she can get him somewhere safe. She drags him inside the theater, to the nearest auditorium, and lays him between the rows of seats. Double checking that the bandage is holding for now, Becky runs off to find a first-aide kit. 

Luckily, it looks to have everything she'll need to stitch up Tom's wound. She hurries back to his side and works quickly, cleaning and stitching him up. Her hands don't shake. The smell of blood doesn't bother her anymore.

When she's finished, she goes to wash her hands. She peeks out of the theater and sees a group of people she'd seen at the toy store run past, talking about the situation. She comes back just in time to see Tom trying to sit up.

"Be careful or you'll rip your stitches," she chastises gently.

"Where am I? What is this?" He gestures to the movie screen.

"Um, Santa Claus Is Going to High School," Becky tells him, and explains what she can understand of the plot.

"How bad is it?" He asks, wincing. Becky helps him into the seat. Up until now, he's been laying flat on the floor so that Becky could stitch him up properly.

"It's not good," she admits.

"I was talking about the movie," he says, and Becky nods.

"So was I," she says. "It's really bad. On the bright side, you're going to be fine! The knife missed your vital organs, and you didn't lose too much blood. We'll just have to take it easy for a bit before we can try to get out of here." She sighs, remembering what she'd overheard from the fanatics earlier. "They've blocked off all the entrances. Most of the dolls already got claimed and are gone, but the people who are left are convinced there are still some here—"

"I'm not leaving without one of those damn dolls," Tom interrupts. "My son wants one, he's gonna  _ fucking _ get one. After everything he's been through, he deserves it..."

"I heard about the crash," Becky says softly after a moment. "I'm so sorry, Tom."

He puts his head in his hands and holds back his tears. This is the last time and place he wants to be crying for his dead wife. "It's all my fault," he mumbles. "I should've seen the other car... if Jane had been driving, she would've. She'd have seen it and stopped in time. I killed my wife..."

Becky rubs his back soothingly, and struggles for words. Finally, she decides to be honest.

"When you shipped off," she begins, "I tried to wait for you. But then I met Stanley. He was sweet, and funny, and  _ very _ charming. We started going together, you know? Things were great for a while. Then one day I was at a lake party with some friends— I had a little too much to drink, and I was flirting a bit with this guy I didn't know..."

She tells Tom what Stanley did, and how she never went to another party again.

"And then last year..." Becky hesitates. "Last year, when I heard about the crash, I wanted to come to the funeral. Pay my respects, you know? But Stanley said no. He said he'd rather me die than see me anywhere near Tom Houston. I argued with him, and he— he chased me into the woods behind our house. He's the one who brought the knife. He's the one who made me go to nursing school, so I knew where his femoral artery was..."

"Becky..." he says softly. He doesn't sound scared, which is a good sign.

"You say you killed your family, Tom," he sniffles, wiping her nose. "I  _ hope _ I killed mine."

—————

Ted makes it halfway between the theater and Marshall's before he comes across anyone else.

Two men stand in his way— Ted recognizes one of them as the homeless man that hangs around Beanie's all the time— and fold their arms across their chests. Ted takes a defensive step back, ready to grab his gun, but he bumps into someone behind him. This third man pins Ted's arms behind his back, and one of the first two come forward to take his gun, pressing the barrel against Ted's forehead.

"Stop," the homeless man hisses. "The prophet wants any stragglers brought to her  _ alive _ ."

The man with the gun rolls his eyes, and gestures for the third man to spin Ted around. He does so, roughly, and the next thing Ted knows, he's falling to his knees after a painful  _ thump _ to back of his head. Another one, and the world goes black.


	5. Chapter 5: Adore Me

Hannah curls up in a dark corner of the jungle gym outside Marshall's, and shivers. She's laying in a tube up at the top of the structure, and the coldness of the plastic is seeping through the over-sized flannel. That morning, she'd been so stubborn, refusing to wear her coat despite how cold it was outside. Ethan had given her the extra flannel he'd had in his car and made her wear it instead.

Now she's wishing she had her coat, too.

She's there for maybe half an hour, still hearing fighting and yelling in the distance, coming from all directions, before it goes quiet. After a few more minutes, she hears Ethan call up to her.

"What's shakin', Banana? It's safe to come out now," he says. "C'mon, they said we can take Lex and go home..." Hannah flinches. Sure, it sounds like him, but Hannah knows better.

"Not Ethan," she calls back, her voice small, but echoing through the plastic tube.

There's the barest moment of hesitation, then not-Ethan replies, "Of course I am, Banana. Who else would I be? Now let's go! They said we can leave as soon as we give them a Wiggly doll... they said there was one stuck up there somewhere... we just have to give it to—"

"Liar!" Hannah shouts, not getting up. "Webby said he's— she said he's gone! She said you'd try to trick me!"

"What are you talking about, Hannah?" Not-Ethan says, sounding too confused. "Webby's not real. I am. I'm right here."

"LIAR!" Hannah shouts again, even louder this time.

She sits up, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees it. The faint greenish glow coming from around the corner. She crawls toward it, hesitating at the netting portion between their two plastic tubes, not wanting to risk anyone seeing her. Taking a quick peek, she sees not-Ethan down below, glaring right at her.

"Don't make me come up there, Hannah," he snaps.

"Go away," she says. "You're not Ethan! You're Wiggly!"

She can see the doll now, just beyond the net section. Blue and green fur sticking out in all directions, the tentacle-things on his face curving out. She peeks down again, and the Ethan-figure is gone.

"This is your fault," she snaps at the doll, wiping away tears. She doesn't get any closer to it. A new voice, the one from the commercials, comes from the doll itself.

"You're a rotten little Banana, aren't you?" Wiggly sneers.

"Webby said you'd try to trick me," Hannah repeats, trying to ignore the comment. Even though he's no longer using Ethan's voice, the idea of Ethan calling her a 'rotten Banana' cuts deep, stinging.

"Webby's a stupid bitch," Wiggly says. "Do you know what people do to rotten bananas, Hannah? They throw them away. Just like my fwendy-wends are going to do to you as soon as they find you..."

She lunges across the netting and grabs the demon doll, trying to tear it apart. It's no use, she's too weak. Wiggly just laughs at the pathetic attempt.

—————

Lex carefully nudges her dad awake with her foot. Her hands are tied behind her back, so this is the best she can do.

"Dad," she hisses, nudging him a little harder. "Dad, wake up!"

"Huh— what? Lex?" Ted mumbles, slowly coming to. Lex lets out a small sigh of relief.

"Thank God," she mutters, then speaks up. "Dad, wake up! We gotta get out of here! They said Hannah has a doll somehow, they're gonna kill her to get it. We gotta save Hannah!"

Ted jerks awake at that. "Shit! Fucking Christ, I was on my way to get her when I got jumped..."

Lex sniffles. "They also said that Ethan's... is he really... they said he's dead," she whispers, and her chest feels tight as she gets the words out. Ted nods slowly.

"Yeah... Henry's with Peter and his girlfriend right now. They're the ones who found him," Ted explains quietly. "He told them where Hannah's hiding. They were gonna move him somewhere safe while I went to get you and your sister. I'm so sorry, Sunshine."

Lex holds back a sob. This isn't the time or the place to let grief distract her. They needed to escape and get to Hannah before the crazy cultists did.

Before either of them can come up with a plan, however, the doors to the storage closet they've been kept in bust open. A pair of men— the homeless guy who had helped jump Ted, and the lawyer guy from earlier— come in. They each grab one of the captives and drag them out toward the cash registers.

Sherman Young and Linda Monroe are both waiting rather impatiently.

"Where is she?" Linda snaps as soon as her captives come into view. "Where's the little girl? She has my doll, I can feel it."

"Why the  _ fuck _ would I ever tell you?" Ted sneers. He normally didn't like cursing in front of his kids, but he'd decided a while ago— back during the almost-Apotheosis— that any seemingly-apocalyptic situations were a fair exception to make.

"Because if you don't, I'll kill  _ this _ brat, too," Linda threatens, pulling Lex's own box cutter out of her purse and gesturing to the teen with it. "If you tell me where she is, I'll let them both live."

"Yeah right," Lex scoffs. "Why do you even want that stupid fucking toy, anyway?"

"Because  _ I _ am Wiggly's prophet," Linda declares grandly, sufficiently distracted. She puts the box cutter away again and starts pacing as she speaks, delicately stepping over the corpse of Lex's boss, Frank Pryce.

"We must build a portal for him," Linda continues, "so that he may come and purge the Earth of his non-believers. But how are we supposed to know how to build that portal without a vessel for me to channel his instructions? I  _ must _ get that doll! It is the only one left in this mall, and I  _ will _ find it."

She gestures to the back room. "Take them away," she instructs. "And Sherman? My dearest, most loyal follower?"

She strokes the man's face, and he practically melts into her touch. "Yes, Mrs. Monroe?" He asks reverently.

"Keep an eye on them for me, will you?" Linda asks. Her words sound sweet, but there's also a threatening air to them.

"Of course, Mrs. Monroe," Sherman says, nodding his head rapidly. Linda gives him the box cutter and strokes his face again.

"That's a good pet," she purrs, and flounces off.

The other two drag Lex and her father back to the back room, and Sherman follows with a sick smile on his face, cradling the box cutter like it was the second-most precious gift Linda could have given him— right behind a Tickle-Me-Wiggly doll, of course.


	6. Chapter 6: Do You Want to Play?

Becky throws out a hand to stop Tom, seeing the movement out of the corner of her eye. "Look," she hisses.

"It's a little girl," Tom says quietly, seeing the child, too.

"Yes, but look at what she has," Becky snaps just as quietly. She points, and stares at her partner until she sees the recognition dawn across his face. The little girl is high up in the jungle gym, half-hidden in the plastic tubing. But she's close enough to the edge of it that Becky and Tom can see what's in her hands.

"The doll," he breathes, then clears his throat and speaks up. "Uh, hey, little girl... are you okay up there?"

The girl freezes, clutching the doll tight to her chest. "Go away," she squeaks out. The adults can just barely hear it.

"You know, you look about my son's age," Tom continues. "His name is Tim. He's a good kid. What's your name?"

"Daddy said I'm not s'posed to talk to strangers," she says.

"We're not strangers, sweetie," Becky says gently. "My name is Becky, I'm a nurse at the hospital. I work with kids like you all the time. There's this one, her name is Bridgette—"

Tom rolls his eyes, and Becky elbows him in the ribs.

"Go. Away," the little girl says more forcefully, and crawls further into the plastic tube.

"You listen here, kid," Tom snaps, "you've got something that belongs to my boy, and if I have to come up there and take it from you myself, I will."

A small cry echoes through the tubes, and Becky scoffs at Tom. "You're scaring her," she says quietly. "You can't scare little kids, Tom. That's how she'll get away. You have to be gentle... lure her in, you know? Then you can put her to sleep." Becky grins wickedly, pulling a syringe out of her pocket.

"Oh little girl," she calls out, approaching the entrance of the structure. "Sweetheart... we're not going to hurt you. Tom is just kind of a meanie sometimes, but he won't hurt you."

"I'm sorry for scaring you," Tom adds helpfully, positioning himself by the exit, a tunnel slide. Becky nods at him, and he starts crawling up it, quiet and careful.

"If you just give us that doll, we'll be on our way," Becky says sweetly.

She sees the little girl peek out at her. The girl clearly sees the syringe in Becky's hand, and lets out a blood-curdling scream. Becky almost drops the syringe in surprise, but manages to keep hold of it. The little girl disappears again into the plastic tubes. Becky growls slightly.

She paces back and forth between the entrance and the slide, ready for whichever the girl may appear through once Tom's flushed her out. She peeks inside the slide, and groans. Tom seems to be stuck halfway through the first curve.

"You've gotta be—"

The syringe is forcibly yanked from Becky's hand, and she whirls around in time for the needle to prick the skin of her neck.

"That's my fucking daughter," a familiar voice growls, and Becky sluggishly blinks up at her attacker.

"Profethor Hidgenth?" She slurs, eyes drooping shut. She'd had him back in college— the rather kooky man had been everyone's favorite professor.

"Don't fight it," he advises her, face going blurry. Just before the drugs can fully take effect, she hears the little girl cry out again.

"Daddy!"

—————

Henry freezes when he hears the scream. It's Hannah. After a brief moment, he barks an order for Peter and his girlfriend to stay put, then dashes out of the ticket booth. He readies his shotgun, but slings it across his back as he approaches the scene and assesses the situation.

There's a red-headed woman in scrubs with a syringe— was that Becky Barnes? She'd been a student of his, one of his best, nearly a decade ago— and a man Henry doesn't recognize trying to climb up the slide of the jungle gym outside Marshall's. He sees Hannah up near the top, crawling away from where Becky is and toward the slide.

"I'm coming, Princess," Henry murmurs, sneaking up behind Becky. He uses the element of surprise to overpower her, snatching the syringe and using it on her.

"That's my fucking daughter," he tells her, voice low and threatening. Becky looks up at him with wide eyes as she processes what's happening. The drugs are clearly working. She mumbles out his name as she recognizes him. "Don't fight it," Henry warns, and carefully lowers her unconscious body to the floor.

"Daddy!" Hannah shouts, climbing down the entrance platforms with a Wiggly doll in her arms. Henry dashes over to her and scoops her up. She drops the doll to wrap her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. He cradles the back of her head, hugging her close, and stifles his own sob of relief.

"Thank God you're alright, Princess," he murmurs. "C'mon, we should—"

Henry's interrupted as he gets pushed aside, and he holds Hannah tighter as he looks. The man from before was out of the slide now, picking up the fallen Tickle-Me-Wiggly doll with a dark smile on his face.

"Finally," the man whispers. "Finally!"

Henry opens his mouth to warn the man— it was very clear, even without Webby's words in the back of the professor's mind— that this doll was more than it seems. That it was dangerous. But the man runs off with the doll before Henry can say anything. He shakes his head, brushing it off. He's sure the man will eventually figure it out himself. Whether he learns it the hard way or not, he'll learn.

"We should get you back to the others," Henry says to Hannah. "Peter's been very worried. Let's go. I've got you, Princess."

Hannah clings to him as he takes her back to the theater. The moment he opens the door to the ticket booth, Peter jumps up and takes Hannah from him. She goes with him easily, hugging him just as tightly as she had with Henry. She's trembling, and sobs when she sees Ethan laying under the counter. Peter rubs her back soothingly, trying to comfort her. Peter's girlfriend, Ashleigh, gently introduces herself to Hannah, and everyone winces when she just keeps crying.

Ethan groans, squeezing his eyes shut as he rolls over. "'Nana?" He mumbles, blindly reaching for her.

Hannah stops mid-cry, eyes widening as she stares at him. Peter lets go of her, and she goes straight to Ethan and curls up with him.

"'M okay, Banana," he mumbles sleepily. "Henry says I have a concussion, passed out for a bit, but I'll be okay."

Hannah sobs again, but this time in relief. "Webby said you were gone," she says quietly. "Said Wiggly would use you to trick me, but I didn't let him."

"Good for you, Banana," Ethan says, smiling down at her and kissing the top of her head. "You're so smart..."

Meanwhile, Henry stands at the door with Peter and Ashleigh, talking quietly.

"I didn't see any sign of Ted," he says grimly.

"I told him where to go," Ashleigh says. "Maybe he got lost? The mall can get kinda confusing, especially if you haven't been here much."

Henry shakes his head. "No, he was captured," he says confidently. Webby had told him. "There's a group here that's dedicated themselves to finding the last Wiggly doll in the building. They've got Ted and Lex both, holding them hostage."

"How do you know?" Peter asks, confused. Henry gives him a meaningful look, and Peter sighs, understanding. "Okay. What do we do?"

"I am going to go get them back," Henry clarifies. "You two are staying here with Hannah and Ethan."

"You can't go by yourself!" Peter exclaims.

"If you go alone, they'll capture you just like they did Mr. Foster!" Ashleigh adds.

"We are not going to leave Ethan and Hannah here unprotected," Henry insists. "She's too small and untrained to fight back— you should have seen the situation she was in earlier! And Ethan's in no position to defend himself right now, let alone her, too."

"Hey," Ethan protests weakly. "I kicked ass earlier!"

"You got your ass kicked earlier," Henry says with a sigh. "Please, kids. We're too close to losing Lex and Ted as it is. I can't lose you guys, too."

"Please don't leave me, Daddy," Hannah says quietly. "I wanna help."

Henry sighs again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You all want to come?" All four give noises of confirmation. He groans. "Fine. Let's go. We'll have to hurry."

Ethan carefully gets up, carrying Hannah. The three teens follow Henry out of the ticket booth, and the group sets off for Toy Zone. As they pass Marshall's, Henry notices with unease that Becky Barnes is gone. He wonders how strong the dose was— if she had recovered and gotten up on her own, or if the cultists had gotten to her first.

He supposes that he'll find out eventually.


	7. Chapter 7: Black Friday

"Find that little brat!" Linda screams from the other room, and Lex flinches. She knows she needs to come up with something, and fast. Her baby sister's life depends on it.

The people drag her and her dad to the back room, tying Ted to a chair. When he starts yelling at them to let him and Lex go, someone gets out the duct tape and slaps a piece over his mouth. He growls, struggling against the ropes they'd tied him up with.

Lex tries to think of a plan, as the two men come over to tie her down to a chair, too. Sherman Young, the creepy guy who had tried to buy all the Wiggly dolls for himself, watches with a satisfied smile on his face. Lex doesn't argue or struggle as the men tie her down, so they don't put tape over her mouth. The two men leave, but Sherman stays. A few minutes pass in silence, while Sherman paces the room and fiddles with the box cutter.

"I can help you, you know," Lex finally says quietly. "I've seen you in here every week since I started working here. You've been such a loyal customer..."

"I'm more loyal to Wiggly than I am to Toy Zone," Sherman says proudly.

"I can see that," Lex replies sweetly. "And it's very impressive. But who's the one who helped you every week for the last two years? I hid a set of those ponies for you, every time a new collection came out, so you could get them before the little girls they were technically made for. I've helped you get stuff off the top shelf countless times. I even set aside a set of ponies for you just the other night..."

"New ponies? I never heard of a new set coming out," Sherman says suspiciously.

Lex shakes her head. "Not new, but rare. The colors are all messed up— we were supposed to ship them back to the manufacturer, but I hid them for you 'cause I thought you might like them."

"Mispaints," Sherman breathes.

"I could take you to them," Lex offers. "If you let me and my dad go." Sherman squints at her doubtfully, and Lex backtracks a little. "Just my dad, please? I'll get you all the ponies your sick little heart desires, just let my dad go."

"There aren't enough ponies in the world for that," Sherman snorts, but still cuts Lex free out of her chair. "But I do want those mispaints... so rare..."

"Yeah," Lex agrees, rubbing her wrists for a moment from where the ropes had burned her a little. Then she whirls around and slams her knee into Sherman's crotch. "About that... I threw 'em in the trash," she spits, grabbing the box cutter.

She goes to cut her dad free, but Sherman grabs her ankle and trips her. The box cutter clatters to the floor, skidding to a stop just a few feet in front of Ted. He screams, muffled behind the duct tape, as Sherman grabs Lex's hair and slams her face down into the linoleum flooring once, twice, three times. Her nose is all bloody, and she whimpers, struggling to fight the creepy man off.

Sherman wraps one arm around Lex's throat, squeezing. She slaps at his arm, silently begging him to let go, but he doesn't. Ted's crying, trying to beg for his daughter's life, but the tape won't let him.

"You should have just given me the ponies," Sherman snarls, squeezing harder. Ted watches helplessly as Lex reaches for him, unshed tears in her eyes. Her hand shakes, fingers outstretched, and her eyes go unfocused.

The moments pass, agonizingly slow— and then suddenly, Ted hears a gunshot, and he blinks, trying to look around to find the source. Sherman falls to the side, and Lex stands up on shaky legs, a gun in her hands, still pointed at her would-be killer.

"And stay down," she croaks out. She waits another moment, then grabs the box cutter again and cuts her dad free. The second he's able to, he wraps Lex in a protective hug, tearing the tape off his own face.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, and I couldn't help you. I'm so sorry, baby..."

Lex shakes her head, still buried in her dad's shoulder. "W-we need to find H-Hannah," she mumbles. "Gotta stop W-Wiggly..."

He pulls away from the hug and wipes her tears away, kissing her forehead. He gently takes the gun from her, and she smiles gratefully at him.

"We'll circle around the outside of the building," he says, pulling himself together. "Sneak back in near the movie theater and regroup with Henry and Peter. Hopefully they've gotten to Hannah by now, when they realized I didn't come back."

Lex nods, taking a deep, calming breath. She leads him out the back door, to the loading bay, and spots Mr. Houston getting ready to leave with a Tickle-Me-Wiggly doll. Ted points the gun at him while Lex calls out his name.

"Mr. Houston, stop!" She calls. The former shop teacher turns to look at the pair and sneers.

"What, you're gonna let your dad shoot me?" He asks, clutching the doll tighter.

—————

Ethan carries Hannah as he tries to keep up with the other three. The professor is taking the lead, his shotgun at the ready. Peter and his girlfriend— Ashleigh, the girl they all shared English class with— hold each other's hands as the group jogs along. Hannah sniffles and buries her face in Ethan's shoulder.

"What if we're too late?" She mumbles, and Ethan rubs her back.

"We won't be," he soothes quietly. "Can't you ask Webby?" Up until very recently— as in, the last half-hour of his life or so— Ethan had thought that Webby was just Hannah's imaginary friend. Then when he'd first woken up with his concussion, Henry had told him otherwise. Ethan might not have believed him... had it not been for the dream he'd had when he passed out again.

Hannah sniffles again. "She said we have to hurry," she says.

"Exactly, Hannah," Henry calls back. "We're almost there—"

The shotgun goes off, and Ethan holds Hannah tighter as he watches one of the men who'd beaten him up earlier crumple to the ground, blood pooling around him. The woman from earlier is here, too. She snarls at Henry.

"Where are they?" Henry says, pointing the shotgun at her. The woman doesn't answer, and simply lunges at him. He shoots her before she can get even halfway to him, and he sighs. "We'll just have to find them ourselves..."

He leads them inside the store, which is surprisingly empty.

"They're looking for me," Hannah whispers, looking around.

"They won't find you, Banana," Ethan promises. "We won't let them hurt you."

Hannah nods, accepting his words, and clings to him again. "Just don't let them hurt  _ you _ again..."


	8. Chapter 8: If I Fail You

"What, are you gonna let your dad shoot me?" Tom sneers at his once-favorite student. Mr. Foster's holding a gun and pointing it pretty proficiently. Tom holds the precious Tickle-Me-Wiggly tighter.

"No, Mr. Houston," Lex says, shaking her head. "Put the doll down. I promise you that your son doesn't want it."

"You don't know what my son wants," Tom snaps. Who does she think she is, Tim's mother?

"I haven't had a single kid ask me about that doll," Lex insists. "Ever since it was announced, the only people who have asked about it are adults. My sister, Hannah? She was disgusted when our stepdad offered to get her one for Christmas. She wanted nothing to do with that thing! None of the kids that have come into the store do! Did you see a single kid in line today?"

"They're at school," Tom brushes off, then remembers the little girl he's gotten this Wiggly doll from.

"It's Thanksgiving break," Lex corrects him. "That's why I was here today! Kids just don't care about that piece of shit— sorry Dad— but it's got some kind of magic or something that only works on adults." She takes a few cautious steps toward Tom, putting herself between him and her father's gun.

"Magic?" Tom scoffs, but Lex nods.

"It makes you guys think it can fill whatever holes are in your heart, that it can fix all your problems," she explains. "That's why it's so effective on adults, because they have more holes. Mortgages, bratty kids, failing marriages. Kids don't have to worry about all that stuff. Did Tim ever say he wanted that thing?"

"He must have," Tom mumbles. "How else would I have heard about it?"

"The commercials have been all over the TV and radio," Ted pipes up, and Lex nods.

"I promise you that no kid wants that piece of shit," Lex says. "They're all into Fortnite, dude!"

Tom looks a little closer at the monster doll in his hands. "I've failed my son," he whispers. "But I won't fail him again. You're real fuckin' ugly, you know that?" He drops the doll to the floor.

"I'm so sorry," Tom says, turning back to Lex and her dad. "Your sister's here in the mall, isn't she? Wearing an oversized flannel?"

Lex nods. "Have you seen her?"

"Yeah, uh, I think your stepdad's got her," he says. "Older guy in a turtleneck with a shotgun?"

"That's Henry," Ted sighs, lowering the gun. "My husband. She's safe with him."

Lex bends down and picks up the Tickle-Me-Wiggly, a look of disgust on her face. Then she smirks, and pulls a lighter out of her pocket. "I think we should burn this thing," she says. "Let the whole cult go up in flames."

"I'm not even gonna ask why you have a lighter," her father deadpans.

They hear a shotgun blast, then a second one a moment later. The trio rushes back inside to find Henry standing over two dead bodies. Peter and his girlfriend are standing not too far behind him, and beyond them—

"Ethan!" Lex shrieks, dropping the Wiggly and running over. The doll slides across the linoleum for a few feet. "They said you were dead— Dad said you were— oh, my God, you're alive!"

"Barely," Ethan winces, setting Hannah down to hug his girlfriend properly.

The six year old goes to Ted and hugs him. He picks her up and holds her close. "I'm so sorry, Pumpkin," he whispers. "I was coming for you, but the bad people got to me first. I'm okay, though."

Hannah nods. "Daddy found me," she says. "He saved me, and now we came to save you guys!"

"Thank you, Pumpkin," Ted says, kissing her forehead. "We've got everyone? We should get out of here before those crazies come back."

"I gotta find Becky," Tom says quietly. "I just kinda left her there..."

"She's gone," Henry tells him. "I don't know where, but she's gone."

Tom sighs and nods.

"We have to stop Linda," Lex speaks up. "Otherwise Wiggly's just gonna get stronger and stronger. She said something about a portal. We have to stop them before they can build it."

"She's right," Henry says. "Wiggly will destroy the planet if given the chance. We can't let Linda Monroe give it to him."

The click of high heels makes them all whirl around, back toward where Tom, Ted, and Lex came from. Linda Monroe bends down and gently picks the Tickle-Me-Wiggly up off the ground, brushing off the fur, and cradles it to her chest like it was her own child.

"Shit," Lex mumbles. Ethan holds her close. Ted takes a few steps back, going to stand next to Henry, holding Hannah tighter in the process.

Someone grabs Ethan from behind, and someone else grabs Lex. Two more grab Peter and Ashleigh.

"Put the shotgun down, old man," Linda croons, still looking at the doll in her hands and stroking the fur. "Or the brats will all die."

Henry glares at her and gently sets the shotgun to the floor, kicking it away. Hannah whimpers, and Ted rubs her back soothingly.

"I can hear his voice," Linda whispers. "I can hear it calling to me... yes, yes, yes! We must prepare for his birth. Wiggly will rise. He will wiggle tonight! And I will be at his side, and all will adore me— worship me, even. And none of you can stop me."

—————

Becky creeps around, clutching the gun in her hands. She'd stolen it from one of those Wiggly-worshipping weirdos, and now she ducks through the aisles of Toy Zone unseen. Linda Monroe's grating voice echoes off the shelves, ranting about how great she is, and how Wiggly will cleanse the Earth of non-believers. Becky rolls her eyes.

Pressing against the endcap of one aisle, she throws a handfull of rubber bouncy-balls in the opposite direction than where she's heading. A decent distraction.

It pulls the attention of cultists and their hostages alike, long enough for Becky to duck over a few more aisles. Linda sneers around, then goes back to her rant.

"As soon as we've finished building his portal, you and your little... family will be the first to be purged," Linda says. "Did you really think Wiggly would let you live, after what you did to his children last year? Yes, I know all about that. His entrance to the world was supposed to be celebrated with song and dance, and now no one is prepared for it! You will all pay for your parts in that—"

"Hey!" Becky shouts, pointing the gun straight at Linda's head. She was finally at an angle where she wouldn't hurt anyone else (no one innocent, anyway) if the bullet went straight through. "You're fucking crazy, Linda."

"Becky Barnes," Linda drawls. "You think you can stop the birth of a god? You, who couldn't even find the courage to leave your abusive husband? Look at you, even now, you're paralyzed with fear!"

"I killed Stanley," Becky says. "And I'm not scared of you. I'm just lining up my shot."

Bang!

The sound echoes off the linoleum floor, and blood sprays everywhere. Linda's supporters rush forward as she falls, abandoning the teens they'd been holding, and they try to catch her body. The lawyer gets there first, and cradles her head carefully. The doll, meanwhile, gets flung through the air.

Lex Foster catches it. Professor Hidgens rushes for his shotgun again, aiming it at the group. Becky lowers her gun, and goes to Tom's side he wraps his arm around her protectively as Lex speaks up.

Lex holds the doll aloft in one hand, clicking a lighter to life in her other. "Abandon your god," she shouts at the group of cultists, "or burn with him!" She sets the doll ablaze and tosses it aside.

As the cultists abandon Linda's body to scramble after the doll, they argue amongst themselves. They all claim to be Wiggly's new prophet as they slowly catch fire with him.

The sane people escape the building quickly, and watch from the far end of the parking lot as the whole building goes up in smoke.

—————

Tom whips around cautiously as a car pulls up behind the group. Doors slam, and three people get out— Emma, her boyfriend, and Tom's son, Tim. He's clutching a small, stuffed cat in his arms.

"Dad!" Tim shouts, wrapping his arms around Tom's waist and holding tight.

"Professor, why am I not surprised to see you here?" Emma sighs, approaching the group much slower.

"Because you knew Lex was working today?" Ted suggests. "And that we'd get involved to save one of our kids the second we found out they were in danger?"

"Fair enough," Emma says, chuckling. Paul comes over and grabs her hand.

"Phone lines and cell towers are all down," he says. "Cable went out, too, just before the power did. But before that— they said someone nuked Moscow. We might be about to see another World War."

"Two doors, not one," Hannah mumbles into Ted's shoulder. He rubs her back again, not understanding, but also not questioning.

"We've got our own generators," the professor says. "Even at the new house. Not to mention all the rest of my doomsday supplies." He chuckles.

"Yeah, yeah," Ted grumbles playfully. "You were right, I was wrong. We do need them after all..."

"Back to your house, then?" Emma asks, sighing.

"Probably for longer than last year," Henry says with a nod.

"Lovely," Emma mutters.

"It's a good thing we moved to a bigger house," Ted says. "Plenty of extra space now."


	9. Chapter 9: Wiggle

The group divides up between the two cars— Emma's and Ted's; Tom's had gotten left way too close to the burning mall and no one felt comfortable going to get it, so they left it behind.

Henry, Ted, their three kids, and the teens' significant others squeeze into one car. Hannah sits in Ted's lap up front while Henry drives, and Peter volunteers to sit in the hatchback trunk. Emma, Paul, Tom, Becky, and Tim fit comfortably in Emma's car without any special arrangements.

Hannah sniffles in Ted's lap, and his arms tighten around her protectively. Lex lays her head on Ethan's shoulder and tries to calm her racing heart.

"My mom's gotta be freaking out right now," Ethan mumbles.

"She should be waiting for us at the house," Henry tells him. "As soon as I knew you were okay, I called her for you and told her to meet us there."

Ethan sighs in relief. "Thanks," he says, closing his eyes and resting his head on Lex's.

Ashleigh pulls her phone out of her pocket and fiddles with it. Lex glances over and notices the screen flicker on with absolutely no notifications. The other girl wipes her nose with her sleeve and puts the phone away again.

"The phone lines are down, remember?" Lex says quietly, taking her friend's hand gently. Ashleigh nods slowly, but doesn't look too reassured.

When they finally get back to the house, Ethan's mom isn't the only guest waiting for them. Ted recognizes Bill's car parked in the grass next to the driveway. He can see Alice and Deb sitting in it, but he doesn't see Bill. His heart sinks, as he remembers that Bill had talked about getting that doll for Alice. Everyone piles out of the car, and Emma pulls up right behind them.

Paul goes straight to Bill's car and knocks on the window. Alice and her girlfriend get out of the car, and the former wraps her arms tightly around Paul as she cries.

"I haven't heard from him all day," she says. "He had me drop him off at the mall this morning, and there's been nothing ever since. As soon as the powers went out, I got Deb and came here. Her parents are missing, too."

"I'm sure they're all fine," Paul tries to reassure her.

"We should get inside," Henry says, glancing cautiously at the sky, as though he was worried about an airstrike happening at any moment.

Ted carries Hannah in and puts her straight to bed despite her protests. Pouting, she glares up at him slightly as she curls up with her stuffed dog in her arms. She falls asleep quickly, anyway.

Tom has an already-sleeping Tim in his arms, and Ted helps him put the other kid to bed in Hannah's top bunk.

All six teens sit around the breakfast table, as Emma makes hot chocolate for them. Paul's getting the mugs out for her. Becky and Ethan's mom, Beck— yeah, that wasn't gonna get confusing— were checking Ethan and Lex over for injuries. Beck was fussing about her son's concussion and bruised ribs.

"Can't we just all be grateful I'm alive?" Ethan whines, and his mother gives him a warning look.

"Believe me, I am," she grumbles. "I'm very grateful that all you kids are alive. That doesn't mean that I'm not upset that you got hurt to begin with."

Ted chuckles, and goes to look for Henry, who seems to have disappeared. He checks the lab first, unsurprised when he's right. His husband is methodically going back over his notes on something, making a notation in the back of the binder. Glancing up, Henry blushes a little when he sees Ted staring at him.

"Sorry," the younger man says quietly. "I got a little worried when I didn't see you with the others upstairs. Hannah's asleep, and so is Tom's kid. Our resident nurses say that Ethan and the others are gonna be fine."

"That's good," Henry says, setting his pen down and coming over to Ted. They wrap their arms around each other, and Henry sighs.

"What's wrong, Hen?" Ted asks.

"Something that woman said," Henry admits. "It's been bothering me..."

"About the Apotheosis last year?" Ted says knowingly, and Henry nods.

"She knew about the Hive," he says. "She knew what we did to stop it."

"Or," Ted says slowly, "she was bluffing, and knew less than she was letting on. If you're worried about other people, I doubt anyone will blame us for what we did—"

Henry shakes his head. "I'm more worried about Wiggly," he says. "What if it's not over with him?"

"It is," a new voice speaks up. Both men turn to see Hannah standing in the hall outside the lab.

"I thought I put you to bed," Ted says, exasperated, but Hannah only smirks.

"I'm not Hannah," the girl says. "I figured this form was safer than a giant spider..."

Henry squeezes Ted's hand. "Webby," he says slowly but confidently, and not-Hannah winks at him.

"Nice to finally see you face-to-face again, Henry," she says lightly. "I think you were about... Lex's age the last time?"

"You looked like my mother then," Henry confirms. "Just after she passed away."

"I'm not here for long," Webby-Hannah says. "I just wanted to thank you both for your parts in stopping my brother and his children this past year."

"Your brother?" Henry says sharply.

Ted stays silent, still staring in shock at this almost-exact replica of his younger daughter.

"I assure you, his apple fell very far from the tree," Webby-Hannah sniffs, almost haughtily. "Now that his prophet is gone and all of his dolls destroyed— the moment one began to bun, so did the rest, all connected by him— his power is significantly weakened. It will take him several millenia to regain enough to try again. And by the time that happens, I have no doubt his attention will have been drawn elsewhere anyway."

She smiles at the couple before winking one last time and evaporating into thin air.

"Earth is safe. Your family is safe." The words echo around the lab.

Ted's still in shock over what just happened, but Henry turns their faces toward each other so he can kiss his husband. They melt into each other as the grandfather clock down the hall chimes midnight.


End file.
